Author's Note: Thanks for the amazing reviews. I hope that everyone had a great holiday and happy New Years, and that you all enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
"Wow, Haley. You look… you look amazing."
Haley blushed as she smoothed out her jacket. "Thanks. You don't look bad yourself, Officer Scott." He was wearing a pair of jeans and a black sweater that hugged his muscular chest and arms. That man wore a pair of jeans almost as well as he wore that police officer uniform.
Nathan just continued to stare at her, obviously checking her out. This time, Haley giggled as she tugged on his hand. "Will you tell me where we're going now?"
Nathan grinned and laced their fingers together. "Nope. Not yet." He proceeded to propel her out of their hotel room and down towards his car. Haley pouted after him, but he resolutely did not look at her as he opened the car door for her.
"Come on, Nathan!" Haley pleaded. "Please?"
Nathan just started up the car. "You'll see."
Wherever they were, it took them forever to find a parking space. It was crowded, people pushing by them as they got out of the car. Haley looked around, realized that they were at a concert center, and then looked towards the sign. When she read it, her eyes widened and she tightened her grip on Nathan's hand, a large grin splitting her face.
"Oh my God, Nathan! Are you serious?"
Nathan grinned at her in return. "No. I'm just messing with you."
"Nathan!"
"Of course I'm serious. Come on, we have to go find our seats."
Haley was beaming at him as they walked towards the entrance of the concert center. "How did you already get the tickets? How did you know?"
"I have my ways," Nathan said. "And Lucas told me that she was your favorite. I thought that this would be nice."
Nathan had somehow managed to swing tickets to the Sheryl Crow concert in Charlotte. Ever since Haley had heard about the concert, she had been trying to get tickets. She had stayed up all night trying to bid for them, but they were sold out. Nathan was quickly shaping up to be the best boyfriend ever if he had managed to get these tickets.
Nathan pulled the tickets out of his pocket and handed them to her, a charming smirk on his face. "Don't say I never gave you anything."
The concert the night before had been amazing. They had returned to their hotel room early in the morning, slept in late, and then began the trip back to Tree Hill. It was long, but they stopped often for breaks and food.
As they were driving back into Tree Hill, Haley had an idea. Nathan had done something so incredibly amazing for her—now, she wanted to do something for him. When she had first met him, he seemed so broken. So lonely. Now, she got to see him smile and laugh and joke around. But Haley knew that he wasn't fully healed. He might not be for a long time, but she wanted to do something to help him.
Haley put a hand on his arm. "Turn left here."
Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Just trust me." Haley gave him a reassuring smile, and Nathan nodded his head before turning. He listened to Haley's directions before finally pulling up next to the river. Haley grinned as she got out of the car. It had been a long time since she had been here, but it hadn't changed at all.
"Where are we?" Nathan asked. He looked around but froze when he saw the basketball court that sat next to the river. Haley took his hand and tugged him towards the court.
"The Rivercourt," Haley answered. "Lucas and I used to come here all of the time with our other friends when we were kids." She smiled, thinking of all of the good memories they had had here. "If I'm right, there should be…" Trailing off, she made her way over to the cluster of bushes at one of the corners of the court. She searched through the leaves before finally finding an old orange basketball. She bounced it on the blacktop but accidental dropped it. Despite himself, Nathan cracked a smile.
"Some things never change," Haley said. "I still suck with a basketball. But I'm sure that you don't." She threw it to him, and Nathan caught it on reflex. He stared down at the orange ball in his hands and Haley walked up to him, putting her hands over his.
"Why don't you play a little bit?" she suggested.
Nathan finally looked up at her. "I don't know," he said. "It's been a while."
Haley grinned. "Like I said before, I suck at basketball. This could have been the first time that you've ever played, and you'd still probably be better than me. Come on." Haley backed up until she was standing under the net.
"You'll get a little prize if you beat me," Haley encouraged.
Nathan bounced the ball once as he stepped closer to Haley; it felt like he had never stopped. "Oh really?"
"Really."
"What prize would that be?"
Haley smirked and stole the ball right out of his hands. Nathan hadn't had a very good grip on it to begin with; otherwise, she never would have been able to get it from him. "Play me and find out, Officer Scott."
Despite the three years or so since Nathan had played, he quickly fell back into the old rhythm of the game. Even though Haley had been best friend with Lucas for years, she still didn't know the finer points of basketball.
"Here you go, Hales," Nathan said as he tossed the basketball to her.
Haley stared down at it. "What am I… Oh. It's so I can make one of those free shots, right?"
Nathan laughed. "Free throws, Haley. Free throws."
"Oh. Whatever." She stood and looked over her shoulder at him. "Just don't… laugh."
Nathan held back a chuckle. It didn't escape him that Haley wasn't exactly the greatest at basketball, but she was definitely giving it a good try. "Why would I laugh?"
Haley didn't answer… well, she didn't answer him verbally. Instead, she squatted and threw the ball up, watching with some satisfaction as it went into the net. That feeling quickly disappeared when she heard Nathan burst into laughter, however.
"It's not funny!" Haley exclaimed.
Nathan was doubled over, he was laughing so hard. It appeared that he couldn't contain his mirth. "Oh, Haley. But it is funny. It's so very, very funny. I can't believe that Luke never taught you how to shoot a basketball!"
"He tried," Haley said, quickly coming to her best friend's defense. "But when we both figured out that I couldn't get the hang of it… he taught me granny style."
Nathan smirked and took a clean shot. The orange ball swished through the net neatly, and Haley couldn't help but be impressed. She never had the love for basketball that her best friend had, but she had an appreciation for it. And watching Nathan play and enjoy himself made her appreciate the game even more.
Nathan caught the basketball as it bounced back towards them. He walked towards Haley but stopped a few steps short of her. He wanted her to meet him halfway, and she didn't disappoint. She looked up at him with her large doe eyes, a smile on her lips.
Nathan returned the grin. "Thank for taking me here, Haley."
Haley nodded her head, seeming to know that Nathan wasn't finished speaking yet. They had only known each for a week, but they had both helped the other open up so much. Neither was sure when they had gotten under each other's defenses, but—somehow—they had managed to do it.
Nathan cleared his throat and studied the basketball in his hands before looking back down to Haley. "I may not have known it… but I needed this. So… thank you."
Haley nodded her head again. The next thing she knew, Nathan had dropped the basketball and hauled her against him, bringing his mouth down to cover hers.
Nathan had loved how Haley instantly melted against him. That didn't mean that she didn't hold her own; she certainly did. She was straining on her tiptoes in an effort to get closer to him, and Nathan solved that problem by lifting her up and holding her against him.
When air became too much of an issue, they broke apart. Nathan didn't make any move to put Haley down, and she didn't ask him to. She waited until she caught her breath before speaking again.
"Nathan," she said breathlessly, her arms still wrapped around her neck. "I don't want this night to end."
"Neither do I," Nathan admitted. "So… do you want to go back to my place?"
Haley smiled. "Yes," she responded.
Nathan finally set her down and took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. Together, they walked back to his truck and on to the next part of their day together.
Author's Note: Just a heads up: I have this story rated as 'M.' There hasn't really been a reason for that yet, but you can all pretty much expect an M-rated scene next chapter. At any rate, I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter. If you want, I can go more into their date with some flashbacks later on in the story. Thanks for reading!
